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A recent survey carried out by a rental property website, www.easyroommate.co.uk, has revealed that the vast majority of landlords are unaware of recent changes to the immigration rules applying to tenants.
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80 per cent of the landlords questioned said they had never heard of the government’s immigration legislation and didn’t know when it was coming into effect.
Landlord Obligations
From the beginning of next month, landlords are required by law to check the immigration status of all tenants living in their properties who are aged 18 and over. Landlords who fail to do this could end up facing heavy fines if the tenant is subsequently discovered to be an illegal immigrant.
Of the landlords questioned in the survey, 30 per cent said they had no intention of checking their tenant’s immigration status and 75 per cent didn’t think they would be fined for not complying with the legislation.
Right to Rent Checks
Sadly these landlords could end up being fined if they don’t carry out the prescribed ‘right to rent’ checks, although the heaviest fines will be levied at landlords who repeatedly flout the law.
A spokesperson from the website said:
“It’s unfortunate to see that not many landlords are aware of the Right to Rent legislation, especially since it is due to launch shortly. Considering the harsh financial penalties, it is essential that homeowners are made fully aware of all aspects and can confirm if the new rules apply to them or not.”
